Sporty McLaren 650S unveiled ahead of Geneva debut

The latest supercar from the U.K. company offers absolute performance on the road and on the track.

Available as a hardtop or as a convertible when it goes on sale later this year, the 650S is so called because it has 650 PS (641 bhp) on tap and it is therefore Sporting in its nature.

So much so that McLaren claims the car will redefine the high performance supercar segment. That’s an extremely big boast, but looking at what the company has achieved with the F1, Mercedes-McLaren SLR, 12C and P1, McLaren clearly isn’t in the business of hyperbole.

The car is based on the aforementioned 12C but its looks are more in line with the current range-topping P1 hypercar, while performance falls in between.

McLaren isn’t quite ready to reveal all of the data but has confirmed that the car has a twin-turbo V8 engine that is good for 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in just 3 seconds, a 0-125 mph (200 km/h) time of 8.4 seconds. And of course, as is now obligatory for all self-respecting supercars, a top speed in excess of 200mph.

Although the car is based on the existing 12C, 25 percent of its components are new and many of the improvements made to the car’s handling, aerodynamics and engine are a result of developing the P1.

As such, the standard cabin is a big improvement, with Alcantara trim as standard and a better multimedia interface that offers satnav, digital radio and full Bluetooth smartphone connectivity.

It also gets carbon ceramic brakes at no extra charge in order to create an interior environment on a par with an executive sedan, albeit one that, when dropped into track mode, could set a new record at the Nurburgring.

The hardtop coupé version will cost $300,000 — that’s more than the 12C (which is staying on sale), but less than the P1 which, McLaren claims, is already completely sold out.